American Health Care Association / National Center for Assisted Living President and CEO Mark Parkinson
A leading long-term care advocate is urging the federal government to further extend the public health emergency and give states more time to prepare for the end of related Medicaid waivers and flexibilities.
Allowing the PHE declaration to end Jan. 11, 2023 would weaken LTC operators’ ability to keep COVID-19 cases in check, and leave states facing a “historic” wave of new Medicaid coverage eligibility determinations, the head of the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living told federal officials this week.
In a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services, AHCA/NCAL president and CEO Mark Parkinson asked Secretary Xavier Becerra to extend not only the PHE declaration, but to retain “related Section 1135 and Section 1812(f) waivers, enhanced Medicaid FMAP to states and state Medicaid policy flexibilities, especially the waiver for Medicaid redeterminations.”
HHS must renew the PHE every 90 days to ensure certain pandemic-related waivers and flexibilities remain current. To alleviate uncertainty, the agency should announce its intent to renew by mid-November, Parkinson told Becerra.
Delays will hurt LTC
Medicaid covers more than 60% of the nursing home population, and millions more in LTC settings such as assisted living, Parkinson added. He noted the lengthy process of Medicaid renewal for aged, blind and disabled populations specifically, who must obtain clinician verifications of health needs, assets and income.
“All long-term care providers are struggling with soaring labor costs and inflation; they cannot absorb additional losses due to delayed Medicaid redeterminations or beneficiaries being found ineligible due to state errors,” he said.
Parkinson encouraged the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to engage states in finding strategies that prioritize LTC populations. “[Redeterminations] will take additional time, especially with more than half of the states not prepared to implement this massive undertaking come January,” he said.
Related articles:
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